Poll: Folks want to ‘age well’ (but don’t always act like it)

By GREGORY ZELLER //

New Yorkers are generally concerned about staying healthy as they age – but most don’t take precautions to improve their odds.

That’s one of the bigger takeaways from the latest Mount Sinai South Nassau Truth in Medicine Poll, which shows that the possibility of dealing with significant health issues as they grow older weighs heavily on respondents’ minds – 72 percent worry about suffering through heart disease or stroke, followed by cancer (71 percent), diabetes (64 percent) and other chronic illnesses.

Those concerns are legit – cancer, heart disease and diabetes were among the leading causes of death in 2023 for U.S. adults ages 65 to 74, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, according to the poll released Thursday, most respondents aren’t taking the necessary steps to prevent or delay the onset of such illnesses.

For instance, while 69 percent of all respondents – and 77 percent of women ages 70 and up – said they regularly take vitamin supplements, a chunky 58 percent admitted they’ve never even discussed “aging well” with a healthcare provider.

Further, only 41 percent of all respondents said they exercise regularly, while 22 percent confessed to sitting for “much of the day.” And while a miniscule 7 percent described their diet as “unhealthy,” only 24 percent of respondents said they try to limit their intake of sugar and processed foods – well-documented contributors to diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.

Those apparent non-sequiturs are a head-scratcher for Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital President Adhi Sharma, who noted that “healthy aging is not just about adding years to your life – it is about adding quality life to the years that you live.”

“When individuals devote themselves to the prevention of memory loss and chronic disease as they age, they are preserving their independence, dignity and joy,” Sharma noted.

The influential Truth in Medicine series kicked off in 2017. The 26th survey in the series – the 24th sponsored by FourLeaf Federal Credit Union and first of 2026, following three released in 2025 (covering wearable medical devices, the effects of politics on national healthcare and the public’s thoughts on alcohol consumption) – was conducted March 12 to March 18 by Washington-based business consultancy and polling firm LJR Custom Strategies, which queried adult Long Island and New York City residents by phone.

In addition to detailing concerns about degenerative, potentially fatal age-related diseases, the poll also dives deep into risks and fears related to cognitive decline.

While 65 percent of all respondents have at least some concern about potential memory loss, women – especially those over 70 – are generally more concerned than men.

To that end, 47 percent of respondents said they take prescription drugs specifically to hinder cognitive decline, while 35 percent – and 51 percent of women over 70 – said they play brain games (crossword puzzles, for instance) to keep sharp.

Worth noting: Respondents who care for a senior family member are more likely to have consulted a physician about “aging well,” as are respondents with a family history of neurological disorders.

And of the 24 percent of respondents who said they regularly provide care for older family members, the lion’s share hail from Long Island, with far fewer family-care arrangements among NYC residents.

Bottom line: The poll “underscores that aging, cognitive decline and caregiving are not distant concerns,” but “present realities touching families across New York and throughout the United States in profound and urgent ways,” according to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America President Charles Fuschillo Jr.

“The poll data is a call to action,” Fuschillo, a former New York State senator from Long Island, said in a statement. “Society must embrace a new mindset – one where healthy aging and caregiver readiness go hand-in-hand.”